Breakdown of La profesora explica la idea con paciencia.
Questions & Answers about La profesora explica la idea con paciencia.
Because the subject is a woman. Spanish job titles usually have masculine and feminine forms, and the definite article must agree:
- Masculine: el profesor
- Feminine: la profesora Colloquially, you might also hear la profe in Spain.
Yes, but it changes the meaning:
- la profesora = the (specific/known) teacher
- una profesora = a (non-specific) teacher Spanish usually needs an article with singular count nouns; you don’t drop it as English sometimes does.
Spanish uses the so‑called “personal a” before direct objects that are people (or personified), not things. Since la idea is not a person, you say explica la idea, not explica a la idea.
Compare:
- Explica la idea a los alumnos. (She explains the idea to the students.)
Here, the a introduces the indirect object (the recipients), not the idea.
It’s present tense, 3rd person singular of explicar (to explain):
yo explico, tú explicas, él/ella/usted explica, nosotros explicamos, vosotros explicáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes explican.
Yes: La profesora está explicando la idea con paciencia.
- explica can mean “is explaining” (right now) or “explains” (habitually).
- está explicando emphasizes the ongoing action happening now.
Yes. Common options:
- La profesora explica la idea con paciencia. (neutral)
- La profesora explica con paciencia la idea. (slight emphasis on the manner)
- Con paciencia, la profesora explica la idea. (fronted for emphasis; add a comma) All are correct; choose based on what you want to highlight.
Yes: La profesora explica la idea pacientemente.
Both mean “patiently.” Con paciencia is very common and natural; pacientemente is a straightforward adverb and can sound a bit more formal or written. You can intensify either: con mucha paciencia / muy pacientemente.
Use an indirect object (often with a pronoun):
- La profesora les explica la idea a los alumnos.
Indirect object pronouns: me, te, le, nos, os, les. In Spanish it’s normal to use both the pronoun and the a + [person] phrase for clarity.
Use the direct object pronoun la (fem. sing.):
- La profesora la explica con paciencia.
If you also include an indirect object pronoun (e.g., to the students), remember le/les + la → se la: - La profesora se la explica a los alumnos.
Because explicar takes a direct object: explicar algo.
Use:
- explicar la idea (correct)
But with other verbs: - hablar de la idea (talk about the idea)
- dar una explicación sobre la idea (give an explanation about the idea)
- explicar = to explain (make something clear). In Spain, teachers commonly say explicar la lección (explain/teach the lesson content).
- enseñar = to teach (instruct someone in a skill or subject).
They overlap in school contexts, but explicar focuses on clarification.
Approximate Castilian pronunciation:
- La profesora: la pro-fe-SO-ra
- explica: eks-PLI-ka (the x is like “ks”)
- la idea: la i-DE-a (the d between vowels is soft, like English “th” in “this”)
- con paciencia: kon pa-THYEN-thya (the c before i/e is a “θ” sound in most of Spain; in Latin America it’s an “s”: pa-SYEN-sya)
Singular count nouns in Spanish usually need an article (definite or indefinite). So you say:
- explica la idea (the idea)
- explica una idea (an idea)
Leaving it out would sound ungrammatical here.
By itself, explica can be either:
- Right now: “is explaining”
- Habitual: “(she) explains”
Context or time markers clarify it: Ahora la profesora explica… / Siempre la profesora explica…
Use the preterite: La profesora explicó la idea con paciencia.
Note the spelling change in the first-person singular: yo expliqué (c → qu before e).